Page 107 of Rule 1: Never Accidentally Marry Your Teammate
The phone rings, and I pick up.
It’s him.
But instead, my agent is on theother end.
“Finn! What on earth did you do?” Cole blares into my ear. “Did you get drunk and marry Noah Fitzpatrick?”
I’m silent. My heart thumps.
“Answer me,” Cole says. “I know you’re there. I can hear you fucking breathing. Don’t pretend you can’t hear me.”
“I’m here,” I say finally, my voice strained and small.
“Put Noah on the phone,” Cole growls with the vigor of a man who could play villains in animation. “I need to talk to you both. Now!”
My breath shudders. Tears prickle my eyes.
“Now!” Cole roars.
“He left me,” I say finally, and tears blur my gaze. “He’s not here. He’s...gone.”
There’s silence. I sniffle.
“That solves your marriage problem,” Cole says, no longer yelling.
“I didn’t want him to go!” I exclaim.
“The whole nation knows you were faking it with him! Do you have any idea of how the Blizzards will react?”
“Not good?”
“You better believe it. Not good indeed. You tried to slip one over them.”
“I didn’t!”
“Are you or are you not featured heavily in Blizzards promotions?”
“I am.”
“And are you or are you not making extra money because of it?”
My heart sinks. “I am.”
“You need to make things up with Noah. You need to play the happy couple. No one can know what a pair of lying schemers you are.”
“We’re not!”
“Did you pretend to be gay to be treated better? To make sure Noah wasn’t sent back to the AHL?”
I’m silent.
“We like each other,” I say finally.
“Then why isn’t he with you now?”
“Maybe I’ve had this wrong by trying to blame you. Maybe he’s the one responsible. Maybe he’s embarrassed his scheme wasn’t going to work and that’s why he left.”
“Noah wouldn’t do that,” I say, but now not just my heart is aching. Now my whole body is.
